God's Hourglass

Dionysius (a Greek tyrant who lived several hundred years B.C.)  had sentenced one of his subjects to death, and none of the latter's tears or pleas could move the heart of stone.

  According to the story, the condemned man finally asked the ruler to concede him one last request.  "Anything you want, except your life," was the answer.

"I have a family that will be left in a hopeless state unless I personally go and take care of winding up all my business and financial affairs."

"Impossible!" thundered Dionysius.

"Please listen.  I am an upright man, and I always keep my word.  Give me ten days to put all my affairs in order.  I will try to find a friend to come here and take my place in prison until I return, taking on my sentence if I should fail to do so. If you allow this, I will return before the ten days are over."

"If you find such a friend, I'll give you 20 days," replied the ruler.

One of the man's best friends volunteered to take his place in prison.  Things got more and more tense as the days went by and the man did not appear.  Dionysius went to see the hostage in prison and asked him, "Today is the last day.  How can you be so relaxed and in such a good mood?"

"Well, it's just that I know that he will arrive in time," was the confident reply.

The execution procedure began, the hostage was taken to the block, the axe was lifted...when someone shouted, "Hold it!  Stop!"  It was the original prisoner, who presented himself before the ruler and said to the executioner, "Here I am; here is my head."

Dionysius exclaimed, "No!  I absolve you! And...let us make your friendship of two...a friendship of three!"
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Inspiring!  We sometimes wonder if God is going to "show up on time", and don't always understand why things don't happen when we think they should!  But that should never worry us.

In numerous places the Bible says, "at the appointed time...", or "in due time...", or "in His own time..."

"For the revelation waits an appointed time...though it linger, wait for it, because it will surely come."  (Habakkuk 2:3)

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 Psalm 27:14 tells us to "Wait for the LORD.  Be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD."

Why "take courage" when we can't see how things are going to end?  Because, like the best friend in the story, God always keeps his word and always arrives on time.

 We don't need to know WHEN. Sometimes He lets us know, sometimes He tells us, as Jesus said to the disciples, "It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set by his own authority."  (Acts 1:7)
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                                "God is not a man, that He should lie,
                        nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. 
                                  Has He said, and will He not do it? 
                             Or has He spoken and will He not fulfill it?"   (Numbers 23:19)
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Everybody's birthday! (Tsachi church visit)

I have always made cakes to share when we visit the Tsachi church, but this time I was not feeling very well before the trip, so Germán suggested we buy a couple of cakes, and celebrate everyone's birthday! It didn't matter when one was born, he/she deserved to be honored!

The short lady in the middle of the photo is Carán, a special friend, and I am right beside her - amusingly, the only one wearing a native skirt! My husband is beside me, and Primitivo (church leader) and his wife Tserere are on the other side of Carán.
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Sorry, I started at the end again...so let me change gears to the pre-cake events.

Very few attended the service - and none of the bunch of little children were there - but there was a great atmosphere, once more proving that "where one or two are gathered together", God is there and will bless. The pictures show only a few people...but the room was full! 

After singing in Spanish, I was invited to lead them in a few songs in Tsáfiki!  A surprise, but a pleasant one, as I firmly believe they should sing praises in their own language.

 Germán gave the message, and it was heartening to see the obvious attention in their faces...even when he had to raise his voice a bit because it started to pour rain!

In the picture, he is closing the devotional time with prayer.

I was grateful to feel better than usual during the after-service, and could enjoy talking with the ladies with more energy than any previous visit!

These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and reflect Revelation 15:4:  "ADONAI, who will not hear and glorify your name?  because You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for your righteous deeds have been revealed."

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This church is very close to where we had our house when my family first came among them 61 years ago (when I was 3!).  We cross over the little river  that provided us with so much fun as young children, and can see across to the area we lived in, now grown over with trees and bushes.   The wildlife we knew, like ocelots, jaguars, agoutis, armadillos, deer, monkeys...has pretty much disappeared with the advance of roads and construction.  But in a special place in my heart, this is still "home".

These dear people will be among those John refers to in Revelation 7:9:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands."
                                                     
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Father...what can I say?  You are awesome, and your amazing love - that reaches out to every single person - brings tears to my eyes again...

                                                      Thank You!

Fabulous failure! "Amazing" accident!

I was disappointed. This new recipe sounded so good! Crock pot...butternut squash and apples...raisins.  But I left it too long, and it ended up as a weird mush.  I was tempted to throw it away, but put it in the fridge.  A couple days later, I decided I could mill the "mess" and maybe use a bit now and then in something.

I took it out... milled it...and as I was transferring it to a container, I tasted it...and was amazed!  It was delicious, and tasted just like Apple Butter! (with a very slight hint of the nutritious squash - and sugar-free!).  I was excited, because I love apple butter, and can't get it down here.  Recipes I've come across seem like a lot of work  This was so easy, with few ingredients...and all the result of a "failure"! (The recipe's below, in case you're interested.)
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On a much grander scale, something like that happened when the steward of a wedding failed to provide enough wine for the guests.  It ran out, and it was his fault! But Grace took over, and Jesus changed ordinary water into wine of such quality that the emcee was amazed!
                      I unwittingly changed a casserole into apple butter. 
                           Jesus splendidly changed water into wine!
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On an even grander scale...a cosmic scale!...something similar happened almost 2000 years ago.  People thought Jesus was going to lead the resistance against the Romans and set up his kingdom.  They were ready to fight and help Him win their freedom! Suspense and excitement!

But what happened?  The Leader of this new movement was killed.  Disappointment washed over their hearts and twisted their gut..  Had it all failed?

Three days later, they saw the result of this "failure"...and were amazed!  When Jesus, the Son of God. walked out of the grave, very much alive, He had put in place the final, crucial, part of a Divine Plan that would bring eternal freedom to anyone who believes in Him.

The result of his "failure"?  It drew me out of MY failure!  He knew what He was doing all along...we often don't! He made no mistake...we often do! What others saw as a failure was a perfectly executed plan of Love, Grace and Justice.
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The psalmist wrote: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  (Psalm 73:26)  So we can trust Him! Remember what He said:

                                   "As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
                                      so are my ways higher than your ways 
                                       and my thoughts than your thoughts."  (Isaiah 55:9)
                 
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Accidental Apple Butter
1 not-too-big butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
4 green cooking apples, peeled, cored, chopped
3/4 c. raisins
(opt. about 1/3 c.chopped leek)
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg.
--Mix all in the slow cooker, leave it on High for 5 hours or till very mushy. You may want to tweak it to your taste, as ingredients vary in flavor.
--I puree it in a food mill (so the raisin skins and any stray leek pieces stay behind), but you can try the blender, or food processor.  Keep refrigerated.  So easy!

So surprised at how much this was worth...and why!

Don't ask me what it is supposed to be. We'll never know for sure!

Four years ago, when my mother was on her death-bed, and we siblings were going through the rest of her earthly possessions, I pulled this out of a drawer, and thought, "What in the world is this?"

I turned it around, turned it over...and froze.  There was a name etched...or rather "gouged" into the surface of the underside.  It read "BECKY MOORE".  I had made it!  I have no memory of doing so, but it was obviously either a school or VBS-type project, which I had given my mother as a gift, probably when I was about 6 years old.
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An incredible  feeling  settled over me.  My mother had saved this "whatever", with its misshapen edges and uneven surface, for 54 years! She never got rid of it, even though it really wasn't a potter's prize!  WHY?  It's simple:  because of who made it for her.  THAT's what gave it such worth that she hung on to it until she died.

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Here's an awesome parallel, suggested by something Max Lucado wrote.  In The Applause of Heaven, he tells of a sweater, now old and ragged, too small, that he can't throw away.  It doesn't have a use anymore, but his mother made it for him.  He says, "It is valuable not because of its function, but because of its maker."

Whenever we feel like the little clay thingy my mom kept - a bit misshapen and uneven! -  let's remember that our basic, intrinsic value isn't based on what we can do. We are valuable "because of our Maker". We are a priceless treasure because of Who created us!
                                           
Remember what God told Paul, when asked to take away a problem that seemed to lessen his abilities?  "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  (II Corinthians 12:9)

We don't have to be perfect to be valuable.   After all, "God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."   (Romans 5:8)
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All of this is important, because God made us for a specific purpose:

""Even everyone who is called by my Name, whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, whom I have made."  (Isaiah 43:7)

"The people I formed for Myself, that they may proclaim my praise."  (Isaiah 43:21)

We do not have to be "great" or strong (or anything else that reflects us) to fulfill that purpose! Even the weak, the "misshapen" and "uneven" among us can do what we were created to do!
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And we were created twice!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, all things have become new."  (II Corinthians 5:17)
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                     "I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 
                            your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
                                                                                                                  (Psalm 139:14)

"Love Story"...a poem for Good Friday

                                                        Love Story

                       I ran to where they said You'd been taken.
                       When I found You, I froze...stunned and shaken!

                       Jesus, what on earth have they done to You?!
                       All that blood...the thorns...and your feet pierced through!

                       The spikes hold You fast!  Don't You share my fear?
                       "It's not the spikes.  It's Love that holds Me here."

                       You didn't resist?  They lashed and bruised You!
                       "I could save Myself...but then I'd lose you.

                       "Your eternal soul's a gem I cherish;
                       so I'd rather die than see you perish."

                       I was overwhelmed!...but what could I do?
                       Sins past - sins-to-be - held me back from You,

                       restrained me with coarse, tightly-knotted ropes
                       that threatened to strangle all of my hopes.

                       But the very moment your life-breath ceased,
                       those ropes frayed...and snapped!...I was free and at peace.

                       Your death gave me life, and my heart is full,
                       for Grace kissed my spirit, and Hope kissed my soul.

                       I treasure what your dying words to me hold:
                       the greatest Love Story that ever was told!
                                        
                                          *********************                                    --Becky Rhon

Letting our hair down...into the frosting!

The cookie theme was "ugly Christmas sweaters"! My husband and I decided to join our grandkids in their cookie-decorating activities...let our hair down, and be young again  with them as we spent time together over the last holidays.  I think the kids had better results than we did; after all, they do it every year!

But the important thing was to "to be young again with them", and not just be the "grandparents looking on" as they had their Christmas-New Year fun.
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I think our Father gave us the best precedent, don't you?  Yes, He was God "looking on" as his children went about their lives,  but He also took time to interact with his creation.  In the Old Testament, He appeared in different guises, and spoke, walked, and talked with his people.  Then, He decided it was time to send his Son "to be young again with us", to do things with us, to join in our activities...and sometimes He "let his hair down"! I can just imagine Him laughing heartily at a good joke!  (Or telling one!)

But the most important thing was to "be with us", to walk through our daily activities, and then...to sit down with us, talk and teach us...then rest, and have some fun.

REST.  A break to refresh us, to buoy us up so we can keep going.

"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He {Jesus} said, 'Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."  (Mark 6:31)

RELAX.  Doesn't have to be a siesta...can be a game, a good book...decorating cookies...or one of Jesus' favorites:

""But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."  (Luke 5:16)

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Some people have the erroneous idea that "Christians" are sour-faced, rules-ridden, up-tight people.  That's not what the Bible says!

"...this, too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat and find enjoyment?"  (Ecclesiastes 2:24)

"A cheerful heart heart is good medicine."  (Proverbs 17:22)


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               May we remember, with those to whom this verse was addressed...

                                       "...to put their hope in God, 
                    who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."                                                                      (I Timothy 6:17)

A Grandchildren Mystery! (a lot of fun!)

It wasn't a mystery in that I didn't know who my grandchildren were!  Rather, it was something we did together that was "mysterious".  Over the Christmas holidays Eli (7), Liliana (9), Noe (12), Miriam (then almost 8), and Micah (10) and I  collaborated to perpetrate this experience on their parents!

In the photo you see us in a "council of war", planning and plotting.
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On the designated day, the two moms and two dads came into the house to find a sign saying "Rheinolds' Mystery Cafe".  They were ushered to their seats at the table and, following an introductory explanation, were handed menus...the likes of which they had probably never seen before!  Therein lay the mystery!

The name of every item on the menu was disguised. (I had prepared the food earlier in the day.) The names contained clues, but still had to be pondered.  After giving them some time, we asked them to fill out their order, dividing everything into three parts.  Each "course" would be served as ordered...But...before the next course arrived, everything from the previous one would be removed.  We informed them that the menu included silverware, so if they didn't figure out the codes (for example, "spoon" was "dish lover" = "and the dish ran away with the spoon") they would have to eat with their fingers!  (*Below I've given you a few other clue examples.)

The kids, as the waiters, had great fun running back to the kitchen to tell me "They think ___ is ___!", when their folks got something wrong!  Of course, once it was all over, we let everyone come to the kitchen and fill up on everything that was left...otherwise, they might have starved! (Actually, the parents did a great job of deciphering quite a few of the items.)

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I've been reading a lot about mysteries in the Bible lately, and found some analogies in our mystery dinner.  The Word of God seems to have a LOT of things we don't understand, but there are clues to the mysteries...and though it's interesting to see how people try to figure them out, in the end, if we don't understand everything...it won't matter all that much, because once it's all over, God will take those who follow Him to the heavenly banqueting halls.  We won't have to "figure things out", and we'll never go hungry again!

Until then...keep these thoughts in your heart:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  (James 1:5)

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you {who are willing to learn} with my eye upon you."  (Psalm 32:8)

"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."  (Jeremiah 33:3)
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               "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, 
                             may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
                                          so that you may know Him better."    (Ephesians 1:17)

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*(Examples of mystery menu: extra Cinderella friend = a spare Gus;  Boot cushions = ravioli;  cow gold = butter;  anagram opus = soup)